The Heart of the True Believer
by Whammy
Summary: Long ago, the Seer prophesized that Peter Pan would meet a child, no more than 12, who possessed the heart of the true believer, but not for many years. The true believer was destined to be his true love. Today, he was finally going to meet the boy whose heart would be his. Henry/Peter.


A/N: While watching the premiere last night, a crackish theory was born. What if Peter Pan doesn't want Henry's heart for evil, but because he loves him?

* * *

The day started off ordinary enough. Peter Pan ordered a patrol of the island during lunch, as he always did, and retired to his bunk for an afternoon nap. He tried not to dwell on the fact that Greg and Tamara had reported that they had kidnapped a boy and would be taking him to the island with them and instead tried to sleep. Just as he was dozing off, there was a loud knock on his door.

"We found him!" a chorus of shouts proclaimed.

Peter had waited for this for years- finally, he was here! The true believer, in Neverland! He jumped out of bed and gathered the band of Lost Boys outside. There, he devised a plan to test if the report was true. There had been several false identifications in the past and he did not want to get his hopes up. The Lost Boys would run and yell around the forest, but never actually capture the boy.

That's where Peter came in. He would befriend the boy, and see if he was indeed the true believer. If the boy passed the test, Peter would take him to the southwest corner of the forest, where the Lost Boys would be waiting. As they headed out, Peter grabbed the picture given to him by the Dark One, remembering how Rumpelstiltskin teased that the boy would live in another land, and he would never find him.

He couldn't wait to prove the grown up wrong.

As he settled in his hiding place, Peter let the moment sink in. He was finally going to meet the boy whose heart would be his. The true believer was destined to be his true love. Long ago, it had been prophesized that he would meet a child, no more than 12, who possessed the heart of the true believer, but it would not be for many years. Peter couldn't believe his bad luck; he was already 16! He spent weeks wallowing in his room, worried he would never find his true love, or worse, he would find them when he was too old!

"Please, let me find the true believer before I am too old! I will do anything!" he cried one night.

Out of nowhere, an ugly old man appeared. "Anything, dearie?"

"Yes! The true believer is my true love, yet I fear I will grow old before I can find them!" Peter declared.

"That can be arranged. Rumpelstiltskin, at your service. I can see the future too, you know," Rumpelstiltskin teased.

"Can you see the true believer?" Peter couldn't believe his luck! Though the man had a frightening appearance, he could both grant Peter's wish _and_ see the future. He would do anything the man asked, just as long as he could find his true love.

"Yes, it seems I can. I'll even draw you a picture!" the man offered, conjuring a quill and paper. His hand moved unnaturally fast as he drew.

"Really? The Seer did not give me much information, only that the true believer would be no more than 12. It would be wonderful to see who I was waiting for!" Peter exclaimed, reaching for the drawing.

"Not so fast. I will stop you from aging and give you this image, but I need some things from you in exchange." Peter nodded, promising to give the man anything he wanted. "You will need to leave behind your life here. I will transport you to a place called Neverland, and there you will live with other boys who have decided not to age. All I ask in return is that you become the leader of these boys, as they frequently cause problems."

"I can do that!" Peter interrupted, eager to get on with the process.

"Impatient are we? Now remember, magic always comes with a price," Rumpelstiltskin warned.

"I'm willing to pay. Can I see the picture now?" Peter begged.

The older man smirked as he handed over the picture. This would be the first of many times that Peter stared at the drawing, attempting to memorize every feature detailed. He learned that the true believer was a boy, but that didn't bother him because he knew true love was never wrong. With a snap of his fingers, Rumpelstiltskin transported them to Neverland and performed a spell that would stop Peter from aging.

That was the first time Peter's shadow separated itself from his body.

"What did you do to me?!"

"I did exactly what you asked, dearie. You won't age. In rare cases, a boy's shadow can separate from the body, but I'm sure you'll figure out the consequences of that soon enough. Now, I must be going. Good luck finding Henry; he lives in another land!" Rumpelstiltskin taunted.

"You tricked me!" Peter shouted, but the Dark One was already gone.

For days, Peter shouted at the sky, unwilling to do anything else. He couldn't believe he fell into Rumpelstiltskin's trap. It wasn't until the Lost Boys found him that he realized he could have power. The Boys quickly took to him, willing to do whatever he asked. Within a few weeks, he had a loyal army behind him. None of the other boys had problems with their shadows the way Peter did, but one had some knowledge of magic.

As Peter's power grew, he never forgot Henry. He kept faith that one day, he would meet the boy. He did his best to prepare, developing his magic and strengthening the Lost Boys. He would be ready for anything, especially the return of his nemesis. His intense preparation left him ready for today, the day that he would finally meet the true believer.

Crouched in the forest, Peter waited for the boy from another land. Suddenly, the quiet forest was filled with sound; a branch snap and someone panting heavily was headed Peter's way. He peeked between the foliage and saw the boy, instantly recognizing him from the drawing he had long ago memorized. Henry.

He reached out and grabbed the boy, pulling him off the trail. Peter's heart was thudding in his chest; Henry was here, right in front of him. Fear filled the boy's dark eyes, and Peter immediately sought to calm him. "It's okay; I'm not one of them."

Henry scrunched his brow, "How are we going to escape?"

Peter had said but seven words to the boy, but Henry already trusted him. Still, he decided to carry out the pixie dust plan, if only to see the elation in Henry's face when he flew for the first time. He lead Henry through the forest, overwhelmed by the fact that after all this time waiting and preparing, Henry was here and he wasn't even sure what to do. What if he scared him away? Could you scare away true love?

The boys nearly fell off a cliff, giving Peter the perfect opportunity to use the pixie dust. He warned Henry that it might not work, but being the true believer, Henry had faith, easily accessing the power of the pixie dust and ascending the pair into the sky.

Peter had flown countless times before, but this time was only comparable to his first. Flying had become as natural as walking to the ageless teen; it had almost become boring until seeing the joy on Henry's face. The boy was simply giddy, and Peter took advantage by pointing out his favorite parts of Neverland. It was easy to capture his companion's interest, but Peter knew they had to land soon. He pointed to a landing spot and Henry began their no-so-graceful descent. As they tumbled to the ground, the Lost Boys began to come out of hiding.

"You lied to me! You are one of them!" Henry reacted.

"It's not what you think!" Peter declared, placing his hand on the true believer's shoulder.

"Is it true? Is it him? Will you possess his heart?" one of the boys asked.

The Lost Boys huddled around Henry before Peter could stop them, frightening the boy even further. "Yes, he is the true believer," Peter responded. Henry's eyes grew wide with fear; he had heard stories of both his mother and her mother taking hearts and using them to control their owners. His face quickly drained of color, and Peter would scream if the boys ruined this for him. He took command and ordered the boys back to their home base.

Peter sat on the forest fall and motioned for Henry to do the same. The stubborn boy refused, "I won't do what you say. You want to take my heart!"

"It's not what you think, Henry. Please, let me explain."

When Henry did not resist, Peter continued. "I know it sounded bad, but there is a reason they asked if I would possess your heart and it has nothing to do with me controlling you. When I was 16, for the first time that is, I saw a Seer. She told me about you."

"Me? What did she say?" the younger boy asked, now intrigued.

"She told me that I would meet you before you were 12 and that you possessed the heart of the true believer," Peter started. "She also told me that the true believer was fated to be a part of my life."

Henry leaned forward, his curious mind running in circles. "I am?"

"Yes, Henry. You are my true love."

Peter knew he had nothing to worry about; Henry had more faith than anyone he had ever met. "If the Seer said so, it must be true," the younger boy declared. "I kind of hoped my true love was someone back home, but I bet we'll have more adventures together."

The leader of the Lost Boys couldn't help but laugh. "I suppose we will. I can't believe you're actually here! We will have so many adventures here in Neverland!" Peter assured, before quickly adding, "Or wherever you're from. We can go anywhere. As long as we're together!"

A dopey grin spread across Henry's face. He was starting to understand his grandparents need to always find each other. "You'd leave Neverland and grow old?"

"I would do anything for you. You're the reason I've been 16 so long! Rumpelstiltskin cast an anti-aging spell on me long ago that I would very much like for you to break when you're old enough," Peter gushed.

"Okay!" Henry agreed, "Until then, we can be best friends!"

"Whatever you'd like," the older boy responded. Peter had never doubted the prophecy of the Seer, but in his short time with Henry, he understood why their fates had been intertwined. Even though Henry would eventually break his aging curse, the two of them would never truly grow up. Their life would be an adventure, led by their insatiably curious minds.

"I would very much like for you to come home with me once my moms come and find me," Henry shyly suggested.

Peter couldn't help but smile and agree. He felt a surge of energy in his veins and stood up. "Of course. Until then, would you like to explore Neverland with me?" he asked, stretching his hand out to his companion.

"Duh! Especially if we get to fly again!" Henry exclaimed. Peter would track down every pixie on the island to provide Henry with as much pixie dust as his heart desired.

As Henry took Peter's hand, the older boy knew that finding the true believer had been absolutely worth the wait.


End file.
